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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mouse · pitcher · ball · game · stock · file · track · deal

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. file — a document
  6. game — a match
  7. game — wild animals
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. track — a song
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. track — a path
  13. ball — a great time
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. track — to keep track
  16. file — a tool
  17. stock — shares
  18. file — a line of people
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. ball — a dance
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. stock — goods

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com